HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Released after breakfast Valentine’s Day, a county jail inmate was back in time for dinner, and saddled with additional charges.
Shane Zerbe, 32, of Wichita, released at 10:27 a.m. Feb. 14, was back in jail less than four hours later.

A Hillsboro trailer manufacturer was approved for a year’s extension on a city tax abatement during Tuesday’s Hillsboro city council meeting.
Flint Hills Industries, doing business as Hillsboro Industries, was first granted a tax abatement in 2008, with a 10-year limit. This will be the final year.

Florence mayor Bob Gayle presented an offer to county commissioners Tuesday that he hoped they couldn’t refuse.
While they did not refuse, they also didn’t accept.

A brush fire, followed by a grass fire Sunday afternoon, kept Hillsboro, Lehigh, and Durham firefighters busy until well after dark.
Hillsboro fire chief Ben Steketee said the brush fire, called in at 2:37 p.m., had been burning many days.

The things Joe Walter of Hillsboro learned while growing up on a farm in South Dakota served him well after he became a missionary to Peru.
He built houses, churches, and a motor boat and taught the indigenous population how to farm and secure their property with deeds.

County commissioners Tuesday approved the purchase of two more ambulances to replace two that are pushing the end of their useful lives.
Emergency Medical Services director Ed Debesis presented bids for three ambulance options from two suppliers.

Tampa’s popular “Little Free Library” will soon have a bigger, more robust brother of sorts, as a library building is being built mere feet away.
David Mueller, board member for Tampa Community Foundation, said an unsightly empty space where the structure is being built is in the location a notable past resident used to operate a business.

Westar Energy is alerting customers that imposters claiming to work for the company are threatening to disconnect service and asking for prepaid cards as payment.
Several customers have contacted Westar after receiving suspicious phone calls.

Another former Tabor College athlete was arrested early Thursday after a brief police pursuit that began on US-56 and ended on Adams St., just south of the city shops.
Zachary Andrew-Yamamoto, 23, a former offensive lineman from Hilo, Hawaii, who was a senior on the Tabor football roster in 2016, was arrested by Hillsboro police on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was released 3½ hours later on $2,500 surety bond.

In an effort to help parents guide their children through their teen-age years, Marion County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is joining “It Matters,” a statewide campaign to promote positive choices.
It Matters addresses alcohol abuse, marijuana use, prescription drug abuse, suicide prevention, and problem gambling.

Severe weather has led to postponement of a program on severe weather.
Because of possible inclement weather tonight, the National Weather Service has postponed a storm preparedness program planned for tonight in Hillsboro.

Services for Helen “Petie” Cody, 63, Hillsboro, who died Feb. 13 at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Tabor College Cafeteria.
She was born Jan. 6, 1955, in San Francisco.

Private services are planned at Pikes Peak National Cemetery for former Peabody resident Marilyn Kay (Zinn) Miller, who died Thursday.
Her husband was pastor at Peabody United Methodist Church for several years in the 1970s.

Services for Malinda Nikkel, 91, who died Friday at Hillsboro Community Hospital, were Tuesday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church. Interment was in Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.
Born Jan. 28, 1927, in Hillsboro to Dave and Marie (Wiens) Penner, she was preceded in death by husband Irvin Nikkel, brother Donald Penner, and sister Esther Penner.

Services for Betty Thomas, 78, who died Saturday at Schowalter Villa in Hesston, will be 11 a.m. Friday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
Burial will be in Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery will be an hour before the services. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Jost Funeral Home.

Time and compassion can make a real difference in the life of an abused or neglected child.
Court-appointed special advocates are volunteers who engage with children to provide insight to the court system as it deals with the issue of what needs to be done for the child.

A trip that was planned as a combined Christmas and birthday gift for Peggy Blackman of Marion from her daughter, Kay, turned out to be more than she dreamed it would be. She reconnected with Marion High School exchange student Alf Tangvald, whom she hadn’t seen in 28 years.
“I couldn’t believe it!” she exclaimed. “We had a tearful reunion. We just clung to each other. We had so many wonderful experiences with him in our family. He was like a son.”

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Thanks to the altruism of one woman, five Florence community members benefit from Meals on Wheels, which they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
Peabody Senior Center is an outlet for the program and funded through the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging. The center has to follow certain guidelines to be reimbursed for the mileage they acquire while delivering meals.

Changes are obvious as people move into their senior years, but as more people live longer, we learn more about how change doesn’t have to mean decline.
Physical activity and proper diet and nutrition can help people age 50 and older maintain their physical health.

Six tickets for the Class 3-2-1A state meet at Hays were up for grabs Friday and Saturday at Eureka for the Trojan wrestling team.
Freshman Jordan Bachman was Hillsboro’s lone wrestler that managed to get one, taking third place in the 126-pound class with a 4-1 finish.

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Harmful algae blooms will be among the topics when the Neosho Regional Advisory Committee of the Kansas Water Office meets at 1 p.m. March 5 at Scout House in Hillsboro.
Other topics will include conservation innovation grants and a water quality technology farm.